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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28947378">Bloom</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cer0342/pseuds/cer0342'>cer0342</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Multi, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan References</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:48:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,037</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28947378</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cer0342/pseuds/cer0342</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I won't lie... I get around a good bit. Most of my squad, a ton of higher ranks, and even the commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith. Gotta have something to do. But never Levi Ackerman. We were friends when we were small children, but now, I swear he does whatever he can to embarrass me in front of the rest of the Corps. All of a sudden, though, he starts showing interest as to why I've never once tried to get myself in his bed...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Levi/Other(s)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Cold Hallways</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Levi catches me out of bed after a disappointing time with Eren, but lets me go, only to order me outside with him after breakfast.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I left Eren’s room slightly out of breath and an aching dissatisfaction settling in the lower half of my body. It was cold in the hallway, the floorboards colder. I hadn’t taken the time to put my shoes back on, and my feet felt the bite of the temperature with every step.</p><p>Eren had invited me to his room after dinner, but he was doing more complaining about Mikasa than fucking. He’d stop every 20 seconds to recall something like how she lifted three boxes of gunpowder at once today, embarrassing him. I had to fight the urge to tell him to let some air out of his big ass head. Mikasa was the best athlete out of any of us.</p><p>Normally, I was willing to deal with it, but I wasn’t exactly in the best mood. That’ll happen when your captain humiliates you in front of the entire squad during training. I stood in the hallway for a minute, leaning my forehead against the wall, seething in anger as I remembered again for the millionth time today.</p><p>We were practicing sword technique in the courtyard, and he kicked the backs of my knees, knocking me down. My chin landed squarely on the water-barren ground, jolting my entire skull. I tried to pick myself off the ground, but the weight of his foot on my back sent me crashing down again. He knelt down, and leaned towards my face.</p><p>“Your stance is shit, Corporal. You look like a toddler,” he hissed against my ear, his hot breath shattering my ego. His voice dripped with sour honey, the hint of a faint smile on his face. My chin throbbed, and I ground my teeth together. I wouldn’t let him know I cared.</p><p>He stood and walked away, presumably to find someone else to terrorize. I struggled to find whatever self-esteem I had left and regained my feet, just to feel cold gazes from the squad upon me, and the odd pity tinged glance. Typical. </p><p>So, I’d gotten sick of Eren’s complaining, and shoved him off. I put my trousers and linen shirt back on, ignored his bumbling stutters, and now here I was.</p><p>I trudged down the hallway towards my room. </p><p>“What’re you doing out of your room at this hour, Corporal?”</p><p>I stopped dead in my tracks, my breath stuck in my lungs in anticipation. Just the person I wanted to see.</p><p>“Couldn’t sleep, Captain Ackerman,” I said loudly, refusing to turn around. The cold seeped through my feet, through my body, and into my voice.</p><p>“I’m not surprised, considering it wasn’t your own bed,” he replied. He was so irritatingly emotionless. </p><p>“Me neither, Captain,” I mumbled. I stayed, waiting for him to dismiss me. My eyes trailed along the patterned wallpaper. Ugly, as usual.</p><p>“Care for some tea, Corporal? It could help your sleeping problem.” </p><p>I forced myself to stand still, forced myself to stare straight ahead, trying to suppress the surprise that bubbled in my stomach. The audacity of this man.</p><p>“Thank you, Captain, but I must work on my stance,” I said, forcing a snarl into my mock-polite tone. </p><p>I pushed my shoulders back, lifted my head and began walking again towards my room. He could write me up for leaving without dismissal, but I didn’t care.</p><p>I hoped I disappointed him.</p><p>&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;</p><p>The next morning at breakfast, Levi announced that we’d be cleaning the house. Again. </p><p>I put my head on the table, trying to shut out the noise of everyone eating. I wanted to go out in the field again. I was tired of washing Erwin’s sheets, tired of cleaning the latrines, tired of scrubbing Jean’s windows that managed to be absolutely filthy every single Thursday. Maybe someone else would get windows this time. Mikasa nudged me from the left, and I rose my head, leaning in to listen.</p><p>“Levi would like you to go speak to him,” she said to me quietly. I made eye contact with him across the noisy room, and he waved me over, his face the usual shade of grey.</p><p>I made my way across the dining room to Levi, who didn’t look back up at me. </p><p>“Yes, Captain Ackerman?”</p><p>“You may call me Levi, you know,” he said, scribbling something on a sheet of paper.</p><p>“It seems disrespectful, Captain Ackerman. Is there something you needed?”</p><p>He put his quill down, and looked up at me, as if I was the annoying one.</p><p>“Yes, you’ll be working in the garden with me today,” Levi said, seemingly searching for a trace of a reaction across my face.</p><p>“I’m not cleaning?”</p><p>“No. I’ve heard you’re good with your hands, Corporal, so you’ll be using them to weed,” he said. </p><p>I pressed my lips together. He knew what he was saying. </p><p>“Yes, Captain.”</p><p>“Now be off, finish your breakfast, Corporal.”</p><p>I nodded indignantly and went back to my seat besides Mikasa and Hanji. </p><p>“What did he want?” Hanji asked.</p><p>“He wants me to weed the garden with him,” I said, huffing. </p><p>“That’s strange, he usually does it himself,” Hanji replied. </p><p>Sasha laughed from across the table. “Well, at least you won’t have to clean Jean’s room,” she snickered. </p><p>Jean’s head perked up from down the table, hearing us, and he scowled at Sasha. He met my eyes, and his mouth changed to a smirk</p><p>Jean didn’t have me much, usually only when Mikasa rejected his advances because he needed an ego boost. Recently, though, he’d asked me to help him “learn English” in his room more and more often. I looked forward to the visits, actually. He was much better than Eren. I didn’t know why Mikasa continued to fawn over Eren, who didn’t even like her, when she could have Jean.</p><p>I smiled innocently back, as if he had not absolutely worn me out the other night. </p><p>“Corporal!” </p><p>My head snapped back to reality.</p><p>“Yes, Captain?”</p><p>“Come outside. Now.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Tomatoes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Levi and I have a talk while we weed the garden</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had a lot of fun writing this fic, so I thought I'd continue it! I'm never sure what to put in the summaries, though, haha.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was very, very awkward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Weeding the garden with Captain Levi, I mean. I absentmindedly picked at the dandelions, wishing it were me who could be plucked from their current state and thrown into a pile and be lit on fire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d mutter things under his breath every so often, and the first few times I’d ask, “Did you say something?”, and Levi wouldn’t even so much as give me a glance. So, I stayed quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beads of sweat were dripping into my eyes, and I could taste the salt on my lips. My skin flared with the heat of the late morning, and no breeze ran by to unstick my white shirt from my skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know why I asked you out here, today, Corporal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I continued to yank at the roots of a thistle that was getting dangerously close to one of Levi’s prized tomato plants.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Captain, I don’t,” I replied curtly. Very nearly interrupting me, he responded,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Erwin and I have been thinking of promoting you to Sergeant, to help out with training the new members.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I stopped pulling on the weed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but I must request something from you first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I didn’t speak, waiting for him to continue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d prefer it if you kept your… activities more private,” he said, sighing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I snapped my head up to look at him. Two rows across from me, staring at the ground. He seemed calm, methodically digging at a thorny weed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me?” I said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Corporal, it’s not exactly a secret amongst the squad, and even the higher ups. I must say, Erwin as well?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I ground my teeth. What did it matter to me amongst the soldiers if they knew? But the ranked officials as well? I bit back a smirk. It wasn’t exactly hard to make my way through them either. Most of them, anyways. Never Levi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” I said. He lifted his eyes up to meet mine. For a second, I saw a glint of amusement before he quickly looked back down again. He didn’t say anything to that, and I went back to refilling the hole the pulled thistle had left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Am I next on your bucket list, Corporal?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>My heart stopped. I choked on my own spit and tried to hide my coughing. Finally, I regained my composure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, and you won’t ever be,” I said, adding a hint of defiance. Now it was his turn to look up in surprise, but it was hidden as quickly as it came.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I considered my answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With all due respect, sir, you are absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span> to me,”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I expect a lot of you, Corporal. I admit that I am harder on you than the others, but quite honestly, I’d wish you’d work harder. You’re a lot smarter than you act.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Captain, I appreciate it,” I spat, rolling my eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if I was… kinder?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I glared at his shiny black hair, anger stirring in my chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Captain, it sounds as if you’re trying to be next on my ‘bucket list’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He continued weeding, calming pulling away roots. God, he infuriated me.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if I am?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, I wasn’t expecting that. Never would I have expected that. I pulled the last weed in my area. He watched me as I stood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s start with not throwing me into the dirt so often in training, yeah?” I said, wiping my forehead. He nodded, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly in a rare half-smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose it can be arranged, Sergeant.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did Levi want with you today?” Jean asked, still catching his breath. Our nakedness was covered with a quilt, which was thankfully protecting us from the cold air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I turned over on the bed to face him. Moonlight poured in from the window, lighting his intrigued face wonderfully, shading his jawline and illuminating his dark eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He and Erwin want to promote me to Sergeant.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyebrows rose, and he grinned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? Are you going to take it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I laughed, and wiggled closer to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure I have a choice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He poked me on the forehead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Erwin just wants you closer to him,” Jean teased, scrunching his nose up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I rolled my eyes and turned on my back again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get out, before I punish you, little soldier,” I said, huffing playfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>scared, Sergeant, don’t hurt me, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he whined, rolling out of my bed. I threw his clothes at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow,” I said, turning my head to grin at him. He pulled his trousers on, and winked at me, before leaving with his shirt and shoes still in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I groaned and threw aside my sheets. Fun was over for the night, I guess. I looked out the window, peering into the distant forest. I was surprised we hadn’t had a Titan scare in a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last one that ran through these parts destroyed half a guard tower and basically drowned in the moat before Mikasa cut a thirty pound steak out of the back of its neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I ran my fingers through my curly hair and turned around, tired of thinking of Titans, beginning to hum a little. I danced a waltz by myself, my eyes closed, letting the air run across my bare skin. It was spectacular.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I had little time to react before my door knob turned, and I opened my eyes to Levi standing in the doorway.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Mikos</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After "teaching English" to Jean, Levi walks in on me, and I learn I'm helping him out with training the new members. They seem alright, I guess we'll have to find out.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>I had little time to react before my door knob turned, and I opened my eyes to Levi standing in the doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“FUCKING HELL,” I screamed, falling to my knees to cover myself. I looked up to him glaring at me. He hadn’t made any attempt to shield his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t say I was expecting that, Sergeant,” Levi said, looking down at me, huddled on the cold hardwood. He seemed virtually unfazed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s why we knock around here, Levi,” I snapped. “Now, can you please turn around?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed over-dramatically, and slowly turned to face the hallway. I jumped up and retrieved my nightgown. I pulled it over my head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You called me Levi,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I smoothed my dress down and fingered through my hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? You can turn around now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned back to face me. I stared at his feet, a little anxious with his presence, even though I was a good half foot taller than him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You called me Levi,” he repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I? I’m sorry-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it,” Levi interrupted, waving my words away. He brushed past me in the doorway to sit down at the small, circular table in the corner of my room, and waved for me to follow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, do come in, Captain,” I mumbled as I trudged to a chair, still irritated at Levi’s lack of manners. He tossed a letter down on the table, and leaned back in his chair. I scooted my chair in. “Is there something I can help you with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re getting a couple recruits tomorrow, and since you’re a sergeant now, you’re going to help me train them.” Levi scanned my face for a reaction, but I simply waited for him to continue. “Obviously, they’ve already gone through the basics, but I want to see where they’re at.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we going to be doing, exactly?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m thinking of some ODM demonstrations for tomorrow, and I also need to see how good they are on a horse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright…” I said, trailing off. I glanced over the letter, feeling his gaze on me. “Is that all, Captain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I suppose it is,” he replied. Levi made no effort to move from his chair, and instead fixed his gaze on the landscape beyond the window. “I apologize for earlier, Sergeant, I should have knocked,” Levi said, still stoically looking outside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um… it’s alright, I guess,” I murmured, fidgeting with my hands. He looked back to me, a flicker of amusement running across his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You spend a lot of time in your room naked?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I rolled my eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can leave now, Captain,” I said, gesturing at the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He held eye contact with me, and leaned forward onto his forearms. The table was small, and his action had caused him to be inches away from my face, his nose inches from mine, his lips inches from mine. His steel eyes were fiery, a forge. Levi tilted his head, opening his mouth slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll leave when I want to, Mikos.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt the heat of his words on my face, the use of my last name not scaring me one bit, and moved just a little bit closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh really, now?” I whispered, taunting his dominance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He suddenly leaned back, closing his eyes and extinguishing the flames in them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unfortunately, that happens to be now, as your company is becoming quite boring,” he said, running his hand through his hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I sat in disbelief as he got out of his chair and opened my room’s door. Levi turned back before leaving, saying,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sleep well, Sergeant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t stop from laughing at myself after the door closed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The new squad members were all in their early twenties, so a few years younger than me. They were all bright-eyed and starry, convinced they’d be heroes. I guess we all started out like that. 99% of us never reach the kind of legendary status we desire so much, the Levi-level status, if you will. Mikasa was getting close. Mikasa had a bit of a fun childhood though, and the way she moved was incredible. And then there was Eren, a Titan-shifter. I suppose Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt too, being shifters, but that was a long time ago, and they were gone now. Bertholdt wasn’t exactly the best without his Titan form, but Reiner had great strength. And then there was Annie. Probably the lowest work ethic I’ve ever seen, but I would never want to get into combat with her. I’d get my ass whooped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I stood in the training yard beside the ODM rig with the new members. We had an ODM training rig brought in a few weeks ago to practice with, since we couldn’t very well use our gear on the plains. Levi had decided to be late. As usual. It was hot and muggy, and my cottonmouth was plaguing me. I could already feel beads of sweat forming on my back. Finally, it got too awkward for me, and I decided to introduce myself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Sergeant Mikos, but just Mikos is fine, too, I don’t really care,” I said, shrugging. I suspected I should probably be a bit more professional, but this wasn’t the Military Police, it was our squad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A woman of average height and features similar to Mikasa introduced herself as Genji Zhang. She seemed sweet, and had beautiful dark hair and eyes. The other woman, who was probably about six and a half feet tall, towered over us. She was called Essie Walker. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and looked like a good runner. The last one, a man named Alex Lykaios, was pretty quiet. He had brown hair and olive skin, and a face sprinkled with freckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Surprised you guys didn’t go for the Military Police,” I said, combing through their papers. “You were all in the top… five of your class?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Sergeant, Walker was first, Genji was second, and I was fourth,” Lykaois said, stone faced. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jesus Christ, lighten up. I’ll drown myself in the moat if we have a second Levi around.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I heard footsteps, and looked behind me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Speak of the Devil</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And this is-” I began.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Skip the introductions, Sergeant, they probably know my name already,” Levi interrupted, brushing up beside me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I scowled at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My apologies, but I don’t, Captain…” Essie said, trailing off. I snickered underneath my breath, trying to hide it with a cough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s Levi, Levi Ackerman,” Levi said, after taking a deep breath. Essie bit back a smirk. I knew damn well she knew his name. I smiled gratefully at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you three were at the top of your class, but I still need to see if you’re any good or not,” Levi continued. “Hook yourself up to the rig, Lykaios.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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